Bush Sets Stage For One Party System

In my heart-or-hearts I believe that there should be NO political parties and each candidate should stand/fall on his/her own convictions and ability to communicate them. The realist in me knows how out of reach this dream is, so I’ve “thrown away” several presidential votes trying to support candidates not in “the big two” parties. (Not really thrown away, since all the votes for Ross Perot and Ralph Nader wouldn’t have changed the electoral votes for Texas no matter how they were distributed — damned electoral system.) Now, the Bushies want to take things a step further and squelch the Democratic lawmakers.

The Bush White House, irritated by pesky questions from congressional Democrats about how the administration is using taxpayer money, has developed an efficient solution: It will not entertain any more questions from opposition lawmakers.
The decision was announced in an e-mail sent Wednesday to the staff of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees. House committee Democrats had just asked for information about how much the White House spent making and installing the “Mission Accomplished” banner for President Bush’s May 1 speech aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
The director of the White House Office of Administration, Timothy A. Campen, sent an e-mail titled “congressional questions” to majority and minority staff on the House and Senate Appropriations panels. Expressing “the need to add a bit of structure to the Q&A process,” he wrote: “Given the increase in the number and types of requests we are beginning to receive from the House and Senate, and in deference to the various committee chairmen and our desire to better coordinate these requests, I am asking that all requests for information and materials be coordinated through the committee chairmen [ who just happens to be in the GOP ] and be put in writing from the committee.”

Bush supports would declare the Dems had worn out their right to ask questions because they were abusing it. The truth is that without the special prosecutor around anymore, this is the only way to (try to) get straight answers from the White House. Of course, since this avenue isn’t under the court’s jurisdiction, the White House can permanently stall (or even lie in response to) any questions they receive. After starting a fight like this, they better pray they can hold their control on the current two GOP branches of government in the next election.

Posted by etrigan at November 7, 2003 3:32 PM